


Two Lines

by NancyDfan



Category: Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries - Franklin W. Dixon & Carolyn Keene
Genre: Character Death, Dead on target, Death, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-14 07:03:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13584816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NancyDfan/pseuds/NancyDfan
Summary: Joe goes to Iola’s home to gather a few of their memories after her death in Dead on Target.





	Two Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to my lovely friend hunting hardy brothers for the idea! My horrible execution below.
> 
> Not betad. Please forgive my errors.

_Numb._ Joe doesn't see it as just a word. His whole body shivers from numbness. It's a feeling deep into his soul. Hairs on his skin dance while his mind surges with memories. Fire, blood, screams.

Joe shakes his head banning the images away. Iola's death replays in his mind in the days following the explosion. Even when his eyes close for the night, his dreams are filled with her. She's all he can see.

_We'll be out of the home for a few days if you want to collect a few things. Mom and dad have already packed their stuff away. I know how much she meant to you, Joe, and I don't blame you for any of this. Honest, Joe, I don't._

Joe finds the letter in the mailbox this morning. He appreciates Chet's offer but knows the words aren't genuine. Chet can't stand to see him, and if Joe's honest with himself, he hates his own reflection. Still, he finds himself standing in front of the Morton's old farmhouse. It's dark and empty, and he almost runs away. The walls hold too many memories, and they strangle him. His fingers hover over the knob.

Laugher fills the air, and Joe turns with fright. _Iola._ He sees her running in the front yard as he chases her with a large, water balloon. They crash and tumble to the ground. Two weeks ago they laugh without a care. The shadows can't imagine the horror to come.

Joe forces himself back to the door and steps inside.

The home is eerier once he's shut the door behind him. The afternoon sun dances across the floor boards, but there's silence all around. Joe takes the steps slowly repeating an act he's done dozens of times. Iola's room lays down the hall. The door is closed, and Joe hesitates before walking towards it.

The door creaks loudly as Joe pushes in. The room is dark, and he reaches for the small lamp next to her bed. As the light floods the room, he sees just how much hasn't changed.

In the corner sits three large boxes, empty. Joe suspects the Mortons want to pack up some of Iola things but can't find the courage to do so. He barely has any to take the few small mementos of their life together.

Joe brushes back tears as he shifts through her things. He spots an worn out diary and almost considers reading it for a second. Instead, he tucks it back in the drawer. Teddy bears, trophies, and photographs are the only remnants of life snuffed out.

"Shit!"

Joe watches a box of jewelry bounce across the floor and under the bed. He mutters a few choice words of frustration and bends down to scoop up the pieces. Most of the jewelry  
he recognizes as pieces he's purchased over the years. He tucks away a small ring he'd won years ago for Iola at the local convenience store, and he smiles realizing she'd kept it all this time. Joe wishes he still had the promise ring he'd given her last summer, but he remembers the small glint as Iola reached for his car keys.

He banishes the image and focuses on the remaining pieces. Joe spies a large necklace hiding beneath the bed and reaches under to scoop it out. His fingers catch several items, and he almost laughs at the clutter Iola collected under her better. Joe tosses aside a few socks, straws, and spoon with a shake of his head, but he stops when he spots a small white object.

The car bomb leaves Joe no time to feel the horror of the situation rushing through his body. A loud explosion and he knows he has to run, but as he sits in the quiet house, Joe stares at the item afraid to pick it up.

Joe knows what it is. He's been around the block a time or two, and he remembers Tony's girlfriend's scare from earlier this year. Part of his mind encourages him to trash it and bury Iola's secret with it. But he has to know, has to know just how much that car bomb stole from him.

He finally summons the courage to pick the item up, and he spots two small lines.

Joe sobs.

______________________________________

It's a cool, clear day with birds chirpier than they should be in a cemetery. The groundskeeper takes his morning stroll checking each plot for upkeep. He stops when he sees disturbed ground near a large headstone.

By the date, he sees it's for a young woman barely buried weeks ago. He looks at the ground and realizes there's been digging next to her grave. The groundskeeper makes a note of the plot and reports it later to his manager.

"What plot number did you say it was?"

"218," the groundskeeper replies.

The manager clicks through a few pages then looks up with knowing in his eyes. "Let it be, son. Let it be."

 

**Author's Note:**

> OK So I know in canon the Mortons had a masouleum but THIS DIDN'T WORK FOR ME SO I'M SORRY. Also, I kinda trampled on canon so what's one more thing???


End file.
